Biomedical sciences master’s programs and postbac premed programs split sharply. Several well-known special master’s programs admit without an interview. Postbac premed programs usually interview, and at least one uses that interview for conditional medical school admission. Here is what named programs say.
From programs’ own admissions pages2027 entryChecked October 28, 2026
Practice with a mock interviewOne-on-one on Zoom with Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP.
Jump to:FormatsTemple formatPractice questionsHow to prepareFAQ
Which programs interview
| Program | Format | What their page says |
|---|---|---|
| Temple (ACMS postbac) | Three Zoom interviews | “Candidates participate in three interviews over Zoom.” The interview “also serves as a candidate’s interview for their conditional acceptance to the MD program.” Source |
| Bryn Mawr (Postbac Premedical Program) | Interview day | Deadlines October 1, 2026 and February 17, 2027. “On your interview day, you’ll participate in an information session given by the director of the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program, a one-to-one meeting with a member of our Admissions Committee, and speak with current students.” Source |
| Duke (Master of Biomedical Sciences) | No interview | “We do not interview applicants for admission.” Source |
| Georgetown (Special Master's Program) | No program interview listed | Its pitch is a later interview: SMP students applying to Georgetown’s MD program “will be guaranteed an interview if they meet specific academic benchmarks including a 3.5 GPA in the Georgetown SMP and a minimum MCAT score of 510.” Source |
Temple’s three-interview format
Temple describes its postbac interview in detail. “A primary interview with a physician or PhD faculty member who is on the Admissions Committee, a secondary interview with a faculty member who is blinded to the application materials, and a third interview with a member of the local community.” Interviews run January through May (Temple).
Temple says it “does not conduct ‘stress’ interviews” and seeks candidates who have strong interpersonal skills, the ability to listen and take another’s point of view, self-confidence, compassion, and social consciousness.
Two lessons carry over to any postbac or medical school interview. The blinded interviewer hasn’t read your file, so you must tell your story from the start. And the community member is listening for how you would talk with patients, not for science.
Practice questions
Most programs don’t publish their questions. These are my practice prompts, not questions any program has published:
- Why medicine, and why a postbac or special master’s program now?
- What happened in your undergraduate record, and what is different now?
- Tell us about your clinical experience. What did you learn about patients?
- How will you handle a full science course load while preparing for the MCAT?
- Tell us about a time you listened to someone whose view you disagreed with.
- What would you do if you didn’t get into medical school?
- Why our program?
How to prepare
- Tell your story from the beginning. Temple’s second interviewer is blinded to your application.
- Own your record. Be ready to explain earlier grades plainly and show what has changed.
- Prepare for a medical school interview. At Temple, this interview also counts toward conditional MD acceptance.
- Know whether your program interviews at all. Duke’s MBS doesn’t, so your written application carries everything.
- Practice with someone outside medicine, the way Temple’s community interviewer will hear you.
Your interviewers may have your application in front of them, so reread your own biomedical sciences personal statement before the interview. If you haven’t submitted yet, see our biomedical sciences personal statement examples, or work with Lauren Hammond, PhD, our personal statement editor.
Heading to medical school next? See our medical school interview guide and our MMI guide.
Interviewing online? Julie Cunningham, a licensed speech-language pathologist, explains how to sound clear on camera in her Zoom interview tips.
Practice with a real interviewer before the real one. My wife, Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist who runs mock interviews on Zoom for postbac and biomedical sciences applicants. She coaches every format: one-on-one, panel, MMI, and recorded video interviews such as Kira Talent. She works on how your answers come across: clear key words, pace, voice, filler words, organizing an answer so it has a point, staying steady when you’re nervous, and how you look and sound on camera. It’s $250 an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Do special master's programs interview?
Some don’t. Duke’s Master of Biomedical Sciences says it does not interview applicants for admission.
Do postbac premed programs interview?
Usually. Temple runs three Zoom interviews, and Bryn Mawr’s interview day includes a one-to-one meeting with a member of its admissions committee.
What is the Temple postbac interview?
Three Zoom interviews: a faculty member on the admissions committee, a faculty member blinded to your application, and a member of the local community. It also serves as your interview for conditional acceptance to Temple’s MD program.
Does the Georgetown SMP guarantee a medical school interview?
SMP students who apply to Georgetown’s MD program are guaranteed an interview if they meet benchmarks including a 3.5 GPA in the SMP and an MCAT of at least 510.
Related guides: Grad school and PhD, MPH and epidemiology, Health administration (MHA), Business analytics (MSBA), MBA, and Law school. See all interview guides by program.
Every date and quotation on this page comes from the program’s own admissions page, linked where it appears. Some of these pages give no cycle year; we used them only where they describe the program’s current process. Last checked October 28, 2026.